Container lid lifter



G. VON ALLMEN CONTAINER LID LIFTER Filed April 21, 1949 April 7, 1953 INVENTOR. door/v51 Volv ALLMEN Q Ila-M Patented Apr. 7, 1953 UNITED ATES PATENT QFFIE E' CONTAINER LID EIETER- Godfrey- VomAll'men, Louisville, ApplicationAprilZT, 1949; Serial'Nin 881776"- This invention" relates to a containerlld' lifter lidi or'cover isactuatedabout itshingeconnect'ion by a foiot treadle or thelike: In saidpriorqstruc tures the container itself is provided with; no lid or'cover'dep'ending foritscovering being obtained. from theireceptaclelid or cover; The presentinvention contemplates the' use of a container-hav ingia completely removabielid" or: cover i'niwhich;

the' said; lid or cover is, separably interen'gage'd' for actuation from the container. when access thereto is desired. The said lid or cover'bei'ne'" actuated from its cl'o'sing position bymeans that are manually operated f10m.&. treadle preferabl'y' by'the' users foot.

It is therefore the principal object of'. the pres.- ent invention to provide. a device for removing,

and. subsequently applying, a cover, lid}, or the;

like. directly to andfrom a container.

Another. object of. this invention. is, the. moviesion of a. devicethat will accomplish the. fore..- going object and" in which the. said lid on cover.

is d'etachalol'y connectedtheretov so-thatthe said." lid,-co.ver,.or the. like, may he detachedfromthe. lifting. device and placedontliecontaiher when:

thecont'ainer. is separated from the device A-further objectof this invention is, the provirsion of a device. for accomplishing theforegoing objects .in which. the lid, co,ver',.or the. like,,lifting mechanism is operated from .a foot .treadle there:

by permitting the operator to havehisihand free;

fonother. uses.

A.still further. object of. the present-invention. is; the provisionof a.v structure for accomplish.- ingthe. foregoing objects that is economical to. produce and simple. to operate.- yet highly efficient. Other. objects and. advantages of. the present invention should ,be readily, apparent by reference. to the following specification. considered iILCOIl-r junction with the accompanying drawings. form.- ing a part thereof and it is to be understood that. any modifications may be. made. in. the. exact structural details there shown and described withinthe scopeof the appended claims, with out. departing. from. or. exceeding the. spirit. of. theinvention.

Inthedrawings Fig; .1. is a. side; elevational. view of the: cone aaclaimsi. (Cl. 248-447) tainer: lid lifting: device embodying the; principles of the.presentuinvention.

Fig; 2' is: a. front: elevationalview; of. the device. of Fig: 1..

Fig; 3 'isa top plamview of the.;device;ofIFig s: '1 and 2 illustratingthe. same withoutthecontainer*associatedtherewith'.

Fig": his a horizontal:sectionalview through the:

device ofthe present invention as seen fronrline; 4 -4 on Fig. 1 with th'excontainer'. of: Figs. 12 being;

omitted.

Fig: 5 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken onlihe S-donFiQ 2;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary' vertical; sectional view taken on line 66 on-Fig. 2.

Fig: 7 is: anenl'arged-f'ragmentary sectionallview takerron-line' l -l on Fig. 2.

Fig. 8 i's-an enlarged-fragmentary sectionalzview taken on' line 8 8 on Fig. 1'.-

Throughout the. several views of the drawings tainer'for sanitaryreasons and comfort of' the occupants of the premises must he: covered between uses. In these cases the -containers. are

generally set: out for disposal' or emptying into other and larger containers. but which initial containers-- must havetheir cover or lid thereon whileh'eingtransported between the pl'aceof filliing and" disposah At the place of use-the user generally has each hand occupied thereby re-- quiring the user to: free one-or the. other of: his? hands intorderto remove the cover or. lidlto': gain: access torthei container andlafter. use;to manually retrieve the cover or lid and: apply samezto the;

container... noted: above. thislinvention contemplates aadevicei for: lifting: suchacover: or lid bya foottreadle so that the operator or user-canreadily gain access to the container while his. hands areiotherwise.occupied andwithout-freeing the same":

Specifically, thedevi'cezof-thepresent invent-ion lncludes a baseportion ll, anLupstanding-portion l2; and; the. lid? 01: cover: lifting. mechanism 13.

The baseportion; Ll formed of a pair: offside:

rails l4 and it each conveniently formed as any anglerironr with; their front. ends. joined by azf-ront or. tiesraill6- likewise convenientlr' in the-form.

3 of an angle iron. Any suitable or desirable means may be employed for securing the side rails Hi and I5 and tie rail l6 to one another such as bolts, rivets, welding, or the like, passing through or associated with the overlapped portions of the legs Id, l5 and 16' respectively of said rails It, It and I6 which occurs at the outer front corners of the base portion 54. Interme diate the ends of the side rails 14 and I5, preferably nearer the rear ends thereof, they are secured to one another in spaced apart relation by a container support or tie bar it which is a flat strip, clearly illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, and disposed upon the inwardly projecting legs Hi and I5 of the side rails l4 and 15. The saidcontainer support or tie bar being secured by any suitable or desirable means extending therethrough and through the portion of the said side rails legs is and 55' on which it rests.

The upright portion 12 comprises upstanding corner posts i8 and [9, each in the form of an angle iron which have their lower ends closely adjacent the rear ends of the side rails I4 and I5 and disposed on the horizontal legs it and #5 thereof, and with the legs 18 and I9 of said posts 58 and i9 in face contact with the vertical legs Hi" and [5" of the base side rails l4 and Q5. The upper ends of the corner posts I8 and it are secured in spaced apart relation by a top spacer member 26 again conveniently in the form of an I angle i'ron,'having the vertical leg 26' thereof in face contact with the corner posts legs 18" and i9" that project toward one another and with said parts again secured in any suitable or desirable manner as by bolts, rivets, welding, or the like. Intermediate the height of the corner posts l8 and i9, and preferably nearer the lower ends thereof, they are joined by a cross brace, illustrated as in the form of an angle iron 2 I, which has the vertically disposed leg 2 l in face contact with the corner posts legs i8" and I9 that project toward one another, which brace has its horizontal leg 2!" projecting toward the front of the device for a purpose subsequently to be made clear.

The base H and upright [2 are braced in their right-angular positions by angularly disposed side members or braces 22 and 23, again, conveniently in the form of angle irons. Said braces 22 and 23 have their vertically disposed legs 22 and 23' in face contact with the base side rails vertically disposed legs l4" and i5" and with said parts secured to one another in any suitable or desirable manner. The upper ends of said sides or braces 22 and 23 are connected with the upright corner posts at their upper ends by means of pivot bolts 2 and 25 which pass through the said side member or braces legs 22' and 23' as well as through the corner posts legs 18' and [9' with said pivot bolts 24 and 25 additionally employed for pivotly supporting the lid or cover lifting mechanism IS.

The lid or cover lifting mechanism i3, as seen in Fig. 3, is substantially U-shaped and comprises outwardly projecting arms 26 and 21 secured in spaced apart relation by the front cross member 28. Each of the arms 26 and 21 and the cross member 28 is in the form of an angle iron and are secured to one another by having the ends of the cross member leg 28 in face contact with the arms legs 25 and 21' and secured to one another in any suitable or desirable manner such as by bolts, rivets, welding, or the like.

Substantially mid-way of the lid lifter cross member 28 is a hook-like member 29' comprising a body portion 29 in face contact with the vertical leg 28" of the lid lifter cross member 28 and with said hook-like member having an outwardly disposed curved finger 36 which is adapted to be inserted within the handle 3! of the container lid 32.

The lid lifter mechanism 13 has its arms 26 and 27 disposed intermediate the upper ends of the side members or braces 22 and 23 and the adjacent corner posts 18 and I9 and has passing therethrough the pivot bolts 24 and 25. Suitable spacers 52 and 53 are mounted on each pivot bolt on the opposite sides of the lifter mechanism arms 26 and 2'! so as to space said arms respectively from its'side members or brace 22 and 23 and its corner post is and 6.

The container lid handle 3| is of the usual construction and as seen in Fig. 2 is substantially U-shaped comprising a base portion 33 from the ends of which depend arms 34 and 35 which ends are secured to the upper outer surface of the container lid 32.

The attachment of the lid 32 to the lifting mechanism i3 is a simple operation and readily accomplished requiring merely the insertion of the curved finger 30 of the hook-like member 29' to be inserted beneath the container lid handle base 33. In operation, the oscillation of the lid lifting mechanism l3 about the pivot bolts 24 and 25 upwardly raises the cross member 28 and which through its hook-like member 2% correspondingly actuates the container cover or lid 32. In order to permit the lid or cover lifting mechanism 53 to be actuated about its pivot, the arms 26 and 2'! each have their horizontal legs 26' and 21 removed for a distance inwardly of the rear ends thereof as clearly illustrated in Fig. 3.

The container lid 32, in its closed position, is adapted to rest on the upper edge of the container, indicated in the drawings by the reference numeral 36. It should be noted that the container 36 and its lid 32 are of a standard type obtainable on the market and are generally formed of galvanized iron with the said container having a smooth outer surface or provided longitudinally with corrugations for strengthening purposes. The container 36 is provided with a bail handle 3! for transportation purposes and with a closed bottom 38. The container is adapted to be disposed on the base portion H and preferably on the container supporting member or tie bar I? which forms the main support for the container. The parts are so designed that the container when disposed on the member I! is in contact with the upright portion cross member 21 and preferably in contact with the forward edge of the horizontal leg 21" of said cross member. With the container'in this position it is disposed above the rear edge of the leg l6" of the base portion front rail l6. The vertically disposed legs Id" and [5", of the base portion side rails l4 and I5, and the vertically disposed leg l6, of the base portion front rail, along with the upright cross member 2|, form between them a means to prevent the lateral shifting of the container while on the base portion II.

In operation the lid or cover lifting mechanism is adapted to be actuated to the position shown in phantom lines and indicated by the reference numeral 39, in Fig. 1, which actuates the container lid or cover to the position as illustrated in phantom lines. With the parts in this position it will'be seen that the container 36 may dessert be readily removed from the base portion H or placed thereon.

' In order to actuate the lid lifting mechanism 13 fromthe solid line to the phantom line position Fig; '1 use is made of a treadle mechanism comprising side arms 40and 4| each in the term of aii angle ironwith their outer ends joined in spaced apart ,relatien by a front member 42 likewise in the form'of an angle iron. The treadle side arms 4% and 4! and from member 4; are secured to -one anotherby having the endsof the front member horizontal leg 42' in face contact with the forward ends of the side arms legs 40' and 4! and secured to one another in any suitable or desirable manner as by rivets, bolts, welding, or the like.

The rear ends of the treadle side arms are connected with the upright portion I2 by means of pivot bolts 43 and 44 which pass through the treadle side arms vertical legs 4B" and 4i" and through the corner posts forwardly projecting legs l8 and I9. The pivot bolts 43 and 44 each have mounted thereon, between the treadle side arms 40 and 4! and their respective corner posts l8 and [9, a spacer 54 which permits easy and ready operation of the treadle on its pivot bolts 43 and 44. Intermediate the ends of the treadle side arms 40 and M they are respectively provided with an eye bolt 45 and 46 to each of which is connected one end of a link, which are of similar construction and one of which is clearly illustrated in Fig. l and will be described in detail for both links; The said link comprises a reach 4! connected with the eye bolt 45 and a second reach 48 pivotally connected through an aperture 49 with a projecting portion of the lid lifter arm 26, specifically the vertically disposed leg 23" of said arm 26. The link reaches 4? and 48 have their other ends connected to one another through a turn-buckle 50 which appropriately balances the lengths of the links and properly positions the treadle with respect to the base portion I I and lid lifting mechanism is for the proper operation of said lid lifting mechanism. In order to conveniently actuate the treadle, its front member 42 has secured to it intermediate its ends a foot piece 7 From the foregoing it will be readily understood 7 that the actuation of the treadle from the solid line position thereof in Fig. 1 to its phantom line position, also in Fig. 1, will, through the links, actuate the lid lifting mechanism l3 from its solid line position to its phantom line position for the purpose above set forth. It will also be noted that the container lid 32 can very readily be removed from the hook finger 39 when the lid lifting mechanism is in the dotted line position so that upon removal of the container 36 from the base portion l I said lid may be placed on the container for transportation with the container to a point of disposal of the contents of the container. An empty container is then placed on the base portion 1 I and its lid removed from the container and attached to the hooklike member 29, by means of its handle 3|, for

. operation toward and from the container 36 in thenormal operation of the device, as when it is desired to put garbage, refuse, or the like, into the container and with the hands occupied in placing said garbage, refuse, or the like, in said container.

From the foregoing, that there has been it is believed now evident provided a container lid lifting device which accomplishes the objects initially set forth.

6. What is claimed is: 1 2 "1. In a container lid lifting device of the class described the combination of a base portion for supporting a container which has a removable lid, said base portion having a front and aback.

corner posts upstanding from the base portion from opposite ends of said back, a top cross brace for said corner posts, aside member between the upper end of each corner-post and the correspending end of the base portion front, a transverse brace member for said cornerposts located intermediate the upper and lower ends of said corner posts for positioning the container on the base portion, a lid lifter pivotally mounted on the corner posts at the upper ends thereof for oscillation toward and from the base portion, the container cover having a handle through which it is removed from the container, a hooklike member on the lid lifting mechanism for separable connection with the cover handle whereby said cover is movable with the lid lifting mechanism, and a foot treadle pivotally mounted on the corner posts near the lower ends thereof connectable with the lid lifting mechanism for effecting its oscillation.

2. In a container lid lifting device of the class described the combination of a base portion for supporting a container which has a removable lid, said base portion having a front and a back, corner posts upstanding from the base portion from opposite ends of said back, a top cross brace for said corner posts, a side member between the upper end of each corner post and the corresponding end of the base portion front, a transverse brace member for said corner posts located intermediate the upper and lower end of said corner posts for positioning the container on the base portion, a lid lifter substantially U-shaped in plan including a front bar and rearwardly projecting arms at the ends of said front bar disposed adjacent the corner posts, pivot means connecting said arms to said posts whereby the lid lifting mechanism is oscillatable toward and from the base portion, a foot treadle pivotly mounted on the corner posts for oscillation relative thereto, said lid lifting mechanism arms projecting beyond the corner posts, and a link between the projecting ends of the lid lifter arms and the foot treadle.

3. In a container lid lifting device of the class described the combination of a base portion for supporting a container which has a removable lid, said base portion having a front and a back, corner posts upstanding from the base portion from opposite ends of said back, a top cross brace for said corner posts, a side member between the upper end of each corner post and the corresponding end of the base portion front, a transverse brace member for said corner posts located intermediate the upper and lower ends of said corner posts for positioning the container on the base portion, a lid lifter substantially U-shaped in plan including a front bar and rearwardly projecting arms at the ends of said front bar disposed adjacent the corner posts, pivot means connecting said lid lifter arms to said posts whereby the lid lifter is oscillatable toward and from the base portion, a foot treadle including a treadle front member and rearwardly projecting treadle arms at the ends of the treadle front member, said treadle arms having their rear ends adjacent the corner posts, means pivotly connecting said treadle arm ends and corner posts to one another whereby the foot treadle is oscillatable, the lid 7 lifter arms projecting beyond the comer posts, and a. link between each treadle arm and lid lifter arm projection for connecting the treadle and lid lifter for simultaneous oscillation upon actuation of the foot treadle.

GODFREY VON ALLMEN.

REFERENCES CITED 8 UNITED STATES PATENTS Number The following references are of record in the 10 Number file of this patent:

Germany Nov. 6, 1930 

